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From: wws@whuxlm.UUCP (Stoll W William)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Ok, SAT tests stink but...
Message-ID: <738@whuxlm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Apr-85 19:02:28 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxlm.738
Posted: Fri Apr 19 19:02:28 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Apr-85 07:15:17 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany
Lines: 36

> 
> Even ETS carefully avoids claiming that the SAT is a reliable means of
> evaluating individuals (as opposed to groups), and their claims even
> there are restricted to predictions of freshman year performance (when
> students in many institutions are taking mass courses graded by - guess
> what - multiple choice tests).  I mentioned these facts to several other
> folks here and was told I was nuts, that there HAD to be more to it than
> that.  Fortunately I was able to give them copies of an article in
> SCIENCE that detailed the modest claims ETS makes for SAT.  In fact,
> when Ralph Nader's organization published an expose of the SAT, ETS's
> reponse was to pooh-pooh the report and claim, "We've been saying that
> all along."
> 
> Sorry to rant and rave so long, but this whole issue tends to make me
> foam at the mouth!
> 
> -- 
> D Gary Grady
> Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC  27706
> (919) 684-3695
> USENET:  {seismo,decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary

I agree with you completely, but here are a couple questions:

Is there a *better* way to evaluate high school seniors?
We could give them essay and short answer tests and charge them
$150 to cover grading...  Kind of like Advanced Placement tests....

Also, what percentage of high school grads learn the fine art of
multiple-choice test taking?  Probably just the smart and/or rich
ones; i.e., the ones that could probably go anywhere they wanted anyway.

Personally, I am more concerned with "fairness" -- the idea of these
tests being geared toward white upper/middle class.

Bill Stoll, ..!whuxlm!wws